1. Field of the Invention
This invention is usable wherever information concerning objects, such as luggage, packages, and the like, must be temporarily affixed to the objects and then read during handling of the objects. It is particularly adaptable to use in luggage handling systems such as are found, or instance, at airports.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most early attempts at automatic baggage handling systems suffered from the inability to ensure that the automatic scanners/readers would always "see" the labels or tags on the pieces of baggage as they moved along baggage conveying systems. This inability to "see" the labels or tags resulted to a great extent from the variability of bag sizes, from the variability of bag orientations which can be produced in baggage handling systems, and from the design of the standard "handle" tags, which are affixed to baggage handles by means of strings or paper seals and which do not maintain any fixed orientation of the tag faces with respect to the bags.
A partial solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,312, issued to Soltanoff. The Soltanoff invention, however, suffers from several deficiencies which limit its acceptability. These deficiencies may be enumerated as follows:
1. Soltanoff's encircling strap must be a length at least equal to the circumference of the largest bag. Since the strap material cost is directly dependent on quantity, this adds unnecessarily to baggage handling costs.
2. The equipment for tagging each bag with an encircling strap is fairly expensive. Since the equipment must be provided at a large number of check-in locations at a typical airport, the capital cost of using Soltanoff's system can be quite high.
3. The encircling strap is highly subject to breakage as a result of the mechanical and manual manipulations associated with terminal and in-aircraft baggage handling. This is particularly but not exclusively true where the shape of the baggage creates unsupported spans of strap.